Skateboards & Sketchpads
by lemonadeskies
Summary: Naminé is the new girl in town, simply trying to get by unnoticed. Little does she expect a bright-eyed blond boy to make the year a bit more interesting. So take a little drama, a shy artist, and a bad-rep blond and what do you get? Roxas x Naminé
1. It's Never Easy

**Skateboards & Sketchpads**

**Disclaimer:** If I owned Kingdom Hearts, I'd make Naminé & Roxas share a darn kiss! ›:3 And give them some fluff moments!

**Author's Note  
**I know what you're thinking. _"ANOTHER STORY?! WTF!"_ But yes, it's true. C: I warned you about this! Haha. Thanks to everyone who will give this story a chance & actually read and review it! First chapters are always the hardest, but I'm quite pleased with this one. I hope all of my _YATMIM_ readers will enjoy this story just as much!

**Genre:** Pretty much the usual General/Romance.  
Possibly a bit of humor here & there, hopefully.

**Couples:** Roxas x Naminé, Sora x Kairi, Olette x Hayner  
I might add some more _minor_ couples as the story goes on.

_Warning: Long chapter!

* * *

_

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******» ****August ********«**

...

**Chapter One: It's Never Easy**

For Naminé Etsuko, the first day of school was always the worst. Considering she was a new student made it all the more difficult. "Mom, have you seen my shoes?" she panicked, digging through her dumpster of a closet. "Mom!"

"Which ones, dear?" Mrs. Etsuko called from downstairs.

"The Converse!" Naminé yelled back, tossing shoe after shoe behind her.

"The black low tops or the red hi-tops?"

"Black!" Naminé slammed the closet shut and looked under her bed.

"I put them in the hall closet, sweetie."

"Urrgh." Naminé groaned. She grabbed her bag, making sure to take her trust-worthy sketchbook, flew down the stairs and opened the cabinets. The blond grabbed a packet of pop-tarts and stuck them in the toaster.

"Excited for school, honey?" Mrs. Etsuko asked. She was looking through a magazine and was sipping coffee from the mug Naminé had made in fifth grade. Her blond hair that Naminé had inherited was kept out of her way with two bobby pins.

"More like terrified," she mumbled, tapping her fingers impatiently as she waited for the toaster to come up with her pop-tarts.

"Oh, come on now." Mrs. Etsuko ruffled Naminé's hair. "You'll be fine, Nam." She scanned Naminé from head to toe. "And nice first day outfit you picked out!" she exclaimed. Naminé had carefully chosen a plain white v-neck, dark wash denim skinny jeans, and a white knitted beret she had gotten from Forever 21. Nothing that would win her best dressed, but it would help her blend.

"More like fourth day," Naminé pointed out with a sigh. Mrs. Etsuko had delayed the move by a few days, so Naminé had skipped the first few days of school._ Oh crud!_ she thought as she noticed the clock. She only had ten minutes left until school started. The pop-tarts still weren't ready. These were crucial signs she'd be late. Wonderful, now she'd definitely be noticed.

"You know it couldn't be avoided, sweetie," Mrs. Etsuko chided gently. "It wasn't easy moving in a few days notice."

"It wasn't easy moving at all," Naminé snapped under her breath. Her mom sighed as the pop-tarts came out of the toaster. Naminé grabbed them and took a bite. "Hot! Hot!" Naminé cried dropping the pop-tart on the counter and fanning her mouth.

"Want a ride, Nam?" Mrs. Etsuko asked."You'll be late."

"No thanks, I'd rather walk," Naminé said with her mouth full. She grabbed her bag and carefully wrapped the pop-tarts in a napkin."It's a nice day. Besides, Twilight Town never had a school near the beach. I love the fresh scent of ocean water."

"So do I." Her mother smiled. "Do you have your Gym clothes we picked up yesterday?

"Yes, mom," Naminé sighed at the mention of Gym "I should get going. Bye."

"Bye honey," Mrs. Etsuko kissed Naminé on the head. "Don't worry at all! I love you. You'll love this school, I know it."

"Bye." Naminé mumbled, grabbing her shoes. Deciding to put them outside, Naminé rushed out the door and scampered down the sidewalk. She hopped on one foot as she tried to jam the other in her Converse.

Her phone fell out of her pocket. "Crap! Now I'm _really_ late!" Naminé said as she caught a glance at her phone's clock. She shoved it inside her bag and tried to put on her other shoe. By the time she arrived at Destiny Islands High, the bell had already rung. "Nice," she mumbled. The biggest building was labeled 'Administration.' Naminé decided to head there.

Inside, Naminé was greeted by a cool blast from the air conditioner. The walls were a nice cream color with little paintings of waves and palm trees decorated on the wall. There was a lady in a yellow sundress behind a computer typing away. She looked up with bright eyes when Naminé entered.

"Hello there! Can I help you?" she asked in a friendly voice.

"I-I'm Naminé Etsuko," the blond artist mumbled. She was never good with adults of any kind. Ever since her father had left her and her mother, Naminé didn't trust adults, aside from her mom.

"Oh! Right, the new gal," the young woman smiled. "We've been waiting for you." She got up and began searching through a drawer. "I'm Ms. Reido," she explained. "It's very nice to meet you, Naminé."

"Thank you," Naminé mumbled.

"So, here is your schedule," Ms. Reido said, handing Naminé a slip of blue paper. "And here's a map to help you. It's very straightforward and you shouldn't have any problems finding your way around. D.I. High isn't very big," Ms. Reido laughed. "One more thing." she flipped through a folder and found a yellow sheet of paper. "I'll need your teachers to sign this. Please bring it back at the end of the day."

"I will," Naminé said as she took the various papers. "Thanks!" she attempted to say cheerfully.

"You're very welcome," Ms. Reido smiled kindly. "Have a great day."

—

**R&N.**

—

"All right. First, English with Mr. Takuta," Naminé mumbled. She stared at the map. "English building...ah!" she cried, spotting it on the map. "Hm, that doesn't look too far."

She was right. Two minutes later, Naminé was standing in front of room 23. Holding her breath, she pushed open the door and peeked in. A man with black hair and dark brown eyes looked away from the whiteboard. Joining him were thirty other pairs of eyes. "Oh! Hello, you must be Naminé," he smiled brightly. "Come in."

Naminé opened the door wider and shyly stepped into the classroom. Everyone was staring, making Naminé feel hilariously like a circus animal. She handed Mr. Takuta her yellow slip who set it on his desk. "Naminé, why don't you tell us a little something about yourself?" Mr. Takuta suggested.

_Darn!_ Naminé thought. She was hoping she'd be able to just sit down. "U-um," Naminé stuttered. Her vocal chords refused to work and her brain wasn't helping her think straight. "Well...I'm Naminé Etsuko," she began. "I...I like to draw," she said quickly.

"How nice, Naminé," Mr. Takuta smiled. "Now let's find you a seat..."

He turned to face the students, his eyes scanning up and down each row. "Ah! Why don't you sit next to Kairi? Raise your hand, Kairi."

A pretty girl with red hair smiled and lifted her hand up. She was wearing a pink tank top and denim shorts. Naminé shyly navigated her way through the rows and into her seat. As Mr. Takuta was digging through a binder, the other students began to talk in low voices. Feeling left out, Naminé stared at her desk. "Hi, Naminé!" Kairi smiled.

"H-hello." Naminé smiled back shakily.

"I'm Kairi Kurusu," Kairi said.

"And I'm Sora Ishida," introduced the boy behind Kairi. He had unbelievably chocolate-colored spiky hair. "I'm Kairi's boyfriend." He grinned cheekily.

"Nice to meet you both," Naminé said politely.

"Where did you move from?" Kairi asked.

"I came from Twilight Town," Naminé grinned, happy to talk about her old home. Her smile faded as she remembered her friends from back home. Were they thinking about her, too?

"That's a really nice town," Kairi said. "I visited it for Christmas, once. It's so pretty with all the snow and lights!"

"I've been there, too," Sora chimed in. "They have good restaurants."

"Oh Sora," Kairi rolled her eyes. "All you think about is food." She laughed. "Speaking of food, would you like to sit with us at lunch today, Naminé?" she asked in a friendly manner. "You can meet our other friends, too. They're all nice, so you don't have to worry about anything."

"I'd love too!" the blond artist said eagerly, completely grateful. "Thanks."

"What's your schedule, Naminé?" Sora asked. Naminé dug out her schedule and handed it to them.

"English 10 Honors with us," Kairi read.

"Then Algebra II with Ms. Hajiro," Sora continued. "How cool! Me and our friend Olette have the same math." The two continued reading the small blue paper.

"History with Mrs. Sheiro," Kairi squealed. "Perfect! That's me, Hayner, Pence, and you!"

"Same lunch!" Sora and Kairi chimed in. Naminé couldn't help but giggle at their enthusiasm.

"Gym with Coach Reyu," Sora nodded. "Good one, I'm in that, too!"

_Gym after lunch?_ Naminé gulped. The equation in her head wasn't giving off a good sign: Sports + Naminé = RUN!

"Aren't Olette and Wakka and Selphie in that class?" Kairi asked.

"And Tidus, Roxas, and Hayner!" Sora grinned.

Kairi pouted. "This is so unfair! Me and Pence are the only ones who didn't get fifth period Gym," she sighed. "Oh well. Hmm, interesting! You're in Chemistry 10 A," Kairi nodded. "I don't think I know anyone that has Kajuto for sixth."

"Only Roxas has that," Sora snapped his fingers. "I remember now."

"Roxas?" Naminé asked.

"Yeah, he's my cousin," Sora smiled. "Don't worry, you'll meet everyone at lunch."

—

**R&N.**

—

"Come on, Naminé. I'll walk with you to second period," Sora said, motioning to the blond. "Bye Kairi," Sora said, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Bye Sora," Kairi waved. "Bye Naminé! See you at lunch."

"Bye," Naminé called after her.

"Let's go meet Olette!" Sora grinned. "She's like the mother of the group," Sora said. They reached the Math department in a matter of minutes. Sora led Naminé to the second door down the hall. "There she is! Hi, Olette!" Sora waved at the other end of the hallway. A pretty brunette with bright green eyes waved back.

"Olette," Sora said when the girl had reached them. "This is Naminé. She's new."

"Hello!" Olette smiled brightly. The notebook she was carrying read _Olette Sukari._ She reached for Naminé's hand who shook it lightly. "It's nice to meet you."

"Thanks," Naminé said. "Nice to meet you, too."

Olette held the door open for them as Sora bounded inside, taking his seat. "Can I see your schedule?" Olette asked.

Naminé handed it to her. "Oh! Same lunch and Gym period," Olette said excitedly. "That's great!" The tardy bell rang as Olette handed it back. "I'll talk to you later," Olette said brightly as she took her seat in the front row.

"Ah! New student!" Ms. Hajiro said. Naminé was surprised at how young she was. She could easily pass for a senior. "Hello, dear. Let's see...oh! Yes, yes, Naminé." She took the yellow paper Naminé handed her and quickly signed her name. "Where shall we put you? Mmm...do you mind sitting next to the window?" Ms. Hajiro asked. Too shy to speak, Naminé shook her head.

"Wonderful!" Ms. Hajiro grinned. "Then that's your new seat." She pointed to a desk in the third row. Head down, Naminé blushed as she felt multiple pairs of eyes on her. She set her stuff down and stared at her hands.

"Now then, let's review what we went over yesterday, shall we?" Ms. Hajiro asked. She wrote something on the board in a squeaky black marker. Naminé looked up and noticed the boy next to her staring. Red-faced, Naminé averted her gaze and stared at the wall.

"Hey," the boy whispered. Naminé looked back at him. He was wearing a black beanie that tucked over his blond hair. The boy was really toned, which Naminé couldn't help but stare and admire his arms. _Stop staring, Nam!_ she hissed to herself. "I'm Seifer," the blond boy smiled. It was more of a smirk, but it was a nice smirk.

"I'm Naminé," she whispered back.

"Hi Naminé." Seifer grinned.

"H-hi," Naminé said, blushing quite furiously.

"You're new, right? How 'bout sitting with me at lunch?" Seifer asked, casually.

"Actually, I already promised some friends I'd have lunch with them," Naminé said, remembering Kairi's offer.

"Hm. Already? Well, can't say I don't believe you, with what a pretty girl you are someone was bound to snatch you up," Seifer chuckled to himself as Naminé's cheeks heated up flaringly. "Well, if you want, my offer's always open."

"Thanks," Naminé smiled shyly.

The day wasn't turning out to be half bad.

—

**R&N.**

—

"...and you already know Pence from third period, and that's Selphie and Wakka, who you'll see in Gym later." Kairi rattled off.

Naminé wasn't sure she'd be able to remember everyone. She studied each one as Kairi began talking about History class.

But wasn't there one more...?

The rest of the group was examining Naminé's schedule.

"That's so cool how most of us are in the same Gym period," Tidus said as he passed the schedule to Selphie.

"Yay!" Selphie grinned. "I can't wait! Now it's me, Naminé, Olette, Sora, Wakka, and Tidy!" she squealed.

Tidus' cheeks grew red. "Selphie! Don't call me that!" he huffed.

"And Roxas," Sora added.

_Oh that's right!_ Naminé thought. _Roxas. Where is he?_

"This isn't fair," Kairi sighed. "Me and Pence are stuck in sixth period Gym!"

"Hey Kairi," Pence piped up. "Maybe we can get our schedules switched. That way, all of us could have a class together!"

"Awesome idea, P!" Kairi lept up. "Let's go right now."

"Fingers crossed!" Sora yelled after them as the two scampered out of the cafeteria. "We've never all had a class together," Sora explained to Naminé. "Usually we're separated out pretty evenly."

"Last year we were _so_ close," Selphie pouted. "Everyone but Roxy had Bio!"

"Roxy?" Naminé giggled.

"She means Roxas," Tidus piped up. "Selphie likes to give everyone stupid nicknames."

"They're not _stupid_," Selphie smacked Tidus' arm.

"Ow!"

"Mine's is Sory," Sora said. "Tidus' is 'Tidy', Roxas' is 'Roxy', Wakka's is 'Wakky', Olette's is 'Olly', Hayner's is 'Hany', and Pence's is 'Pency'."

Naminé giggled. "What about Kairi's?"

"Oh, Kairi's name already ends the same as mine, so I didn't give her one," Selphie grinned. "But we call her 'Kai' at times."

_That would explain all the 'eeee' sound endings,_ Naminé chuckled to herself.

"Hey! Would it be all right if I called you _Nami_, Naminé?" Selphie asked.

"Oh sure! Ask _her_ for permission!" Tidus rolled his eyes. Selphie ignored him.

"Sure," Naminé smiled. "That's what my friends back home called me." Her heart throbbed at the mention of her Twilight Town friends. She wondered what they were doing now. Her best friend, Rain, was probably eating her usual chicken sandwich and playfully teasing Lite, her and Naminé's other friend. She missed them.

"Awesome!" Kairi bounded back to the table with Pence. Her eyes were shining. "They let us switch!"

"No way!" Selphie squealed, clapping her hands in delight. "But how? Last year they wouldn't let Roxas switch."

"Well, it was easy for Pence," Kairi stuck out her tongue at the chubby boy who laughed it off. "They looked at his files and saw that he was in Photography Club, Yearbook, and Debate club last year, so they let him right away."

"What about you, Kairi?" Sora asked. Kairi took her spot next to Sora and Naminé and laughed.

"They asked me why I wanted to switch and I said if I had Gym last I'd be too tired to walk home," Kairi grinned.

"This is sweet!" Selphie bounced in her seat. "I can't wait! Last year, me and Wakky were partners in Tennis ("I will never forget when you hit me on the side of my head," Wakka muttered) and the ball flew up so high and came out of nowhere and it hit Roxy in the face!" Selphie giggled hysterically.

"Where is Roxas?" Sora asked.

"I saw him go with Axel and Demyx outside," Hayner twisted his mouth in annoyance.

"Not again," Sora moaned.

"What's wrong?" Naminé asked, eyes wide. Sora's expression was rigid, which didn't do much good for his bright, childish features.

"My cousin's not exactly...well, he's kind of involved with some really bad people," Sora admitted, ashamed.

"Like a...gang?"

"Yeah," Sora sighed. "I worry about him. I mean, I know he can take care of himself, but I don't want him hanging out with the those people. But of course he never listens to me," Sora chuckled dryly.

The conversation had dulled away.

"Hayner," Selphie said sweetly. "Are you going to eat that pie?" she pointed to the delicious looking apple pie that sat on his plate.

"Of course I'm going to eat it," Hayner rolled his eyes. "Don't think you can just take it! My mom went all the way to Pie Parlor for it."

"Pie Parlor?" Naminé raised an eyebrow, giggling at the funny name.

"Yeah!" Sora chimed in, beginning to brighten. "They have the best pies _ever_."

"Hey! We should take Naminé there on the weekend," Kairi suggested. The group agreed, all of them telling Naminé about Pie Parlor and how amazing it was. "Then it's settled," Kairi clapped her hands. "Saturday, we're taking you to Pie Parlor!"

"Sounds fun," Naminé smiled. The day was getting better and better. _Maybe moving here wasn't so bad..._

—

**R&N.**

—

"Honestly, Kairi. I am no good at sports," Naminé informed, exchanging her white v-neck for the light gray Gym shirt. "Back home, no one except my best friend picked me for a team." Naminé shook her head. Rain always picked Naminé, no matter the consequence.

"Oh, stop exaggerating," Kairi laughed. "No one's as bad as Selphie, trust me on this."

"Hey!" Selphie put her hands on her hips. "I heard that!"

Laughing along with Kairi and Olette, Naminé slipped on the teal-colored Gym shorts. "Holy crap!" Naminé gasped. "These are sooo short!" she cried, tugging the shorts down. _I've never worn anything as short as this,_ she thought uncomfortably.

"You get used to them," Selphie laughed. "You should've seen Olette her first year here. She refused to come out of the locker rooms. They had to give her X-Large shorts so they'd cover her knees."

"Selphie!" Olette blushed furiously.

"And then she had to switch back because they were so baggy," Kairi remembered, laughing.

"I just don't like showing my legs!" Olette moaned.

"Why not? You have a great body," Selphie smiled coyly. Olette reddened, then smacked Selphie on the arm and ran out of the locker room. "Oh, come on Olette! It's not a bad thing!" Selphie cried, running after her.

"Ready, Naminé?" Kairi asked, straightening up.

Naminé quickly looped her shoelaces and gave them a firm tug. "Yup!"

The two girls walked outside, the sun beating down on their faces. It was such a warm day. _At least I'll get some sun._

"Everyone! On your numbers!" a man with long silver hair shouted, blowing his whistle. The students began to diverse to the the four sets of numbers, each numbering from one-to-fifty.

"That's coach Reyu," Kairi whispered. "His first name is Xemnas."

"Xemnas?" Naminé giggled at the name.

Kairi smiled. "I'll see you later, Naminé. I have Coach Lasux." she waved and hurried to the set of numbers that was the farthest. Naminé watched as hordes of students dispersed and sat on their numbers. Left standing, Naminé flushed, staring at the ground and clasping her yellow paper. She could feel stares on her.

"Excuse me, Miss. Why aren't you on your number?" Coach Reyu was looking down on her. Nervous, Naminé handed him the yellow paper. He glanced at it, then smiled. "Ah, yes. You're the new girl!" He quickly signed the yellow paper and attached it to the clipboard. "Remind me to give you this after class. In the meantime, follow me."

He led her to the set of numbers in the middle. "Class, this is Naminé." he introduced. Naminé recognized Sora on number fourteen and Tidus on number thirty-one. Everyone else was obviously on the other set of numbers. "Let's see. How about you sit on the very last number until I can figure out where you really belong?" Coach Reyu suggested.

"That's f-fine," Naminé stuttered. She quickly sat down on number forty-six.

"Ok, let's see...Rin Atatsu?"

"Here."

Naminé traced the white numbers with her finger and stared intently at the blacktop. She missed Rain and Lite. Kairi and the gang were nice, but something wasn't right. Something wasn't complete.

"_We're going to be there for you when you need us." _Rain and Lite had promised.

_Then where are you? _Naminé bit her lip.

"You ok?"

Naminé turned her head to her left, lifting her finger up. "What?"

"You look like you're going to cry."

Naminé recognized the boy from second period. "O-oh, hi Seifer," she smiled gently. "I'm fine."

"You sure?" He asked, raising a blond eyebrow.

"Definitely," Naminé assured. "Just caught up with something."

"Huh. Well, we're playing football today. That should help get your mind off things." Seifer said, adjusting his beanie. Naminé wondered why he still had it on.

"Actually, I'm not a sports fan," Naminé informed, wrapping her arms around her pale legs. "Sports aren't my thing."

"Sports are a big thing around here. So don't be surprised if some people get...competitive." He began smirking.

Naminé wondered what _that_ was all about. She sat quietly, trying to cover her bare legs with her arms. Darn these shorts. Coach Reyu finished taking roll and clapped his hands.

"Listen up, shorties," he called out. "Coach Lasux's class is going to be on our team in football. We're playing against Coach Treyn's and Coach Mintro's class today. I expect you guys to kill them!" He shouted out, making Naminé jump. "Show 'em _no mercy. _Losing team has to run the mile on Friday, and I'm sure as hell you guy's don't want to do that."

"Damn straight!" Naminé realized it was Hayner who had shouted out. The class erupted into giggles.

The cursing didn't seem to faze Coach Reyu. "Who's going to win?" He yelled.

"We are!" the class cheered, then got up and headed for the field.

Sora caught up with Naminé. "Crazy, isn't it?" he laughed.

"Completely," Naminé agreed, a smile tugging out her lips. So this was what Seifer had meant by 'competitive.'

"Good thing we have Roxas on our team," Sora said. "He's one of the best athletes at our school."

"What about me?" asked a smooth, low voice. It rolled off the speaker's tongue so gently Naminé shivered. So this was Roxas? She turned around to get a glimpse at the mysterious boy and froze, her heartbeat speeding up.

The first thing she caught were his eyes. They were very, very blue. The faint roar of the ocean reminded her that the color was similar to that of the sea's. Naminé was entranced by them. Her gaze shifted to his spiky blond hair. It was fascinating how his hair was twisted all over, each spike curled at an angle. They looked so soft she wondered if they were natural. He had a very good build. Naminé reddened as she caught herself staring at his nicely toned arms.

But the best thing had to be his smile. It was crooked, one side higher then the other, forming the possibility that imperfection _was_ perfection. She marveled at him, seeing the relations between him and Sora. But there was something more sculpted about him. Something more chiseled.

As he turned his head, though, Naminé caught sight of his cheek, which was badly scraped, and his neck, which was covered with a bandage. She stared, wondering what had happened. Naminé remembered Sora saying something about him in a gang and her spine shivered. Were all those injuries from fights?

"I was just telling Naminé how _lame _of an athlete you are," Sora smiled, just as Selphie came bounding toward them.

"Roxy!" she squealed, throwing her arms around him. He hugged her back. "We missed you at lunch," she bounced on her toes.

"No we didn't," Tidus came up behind them and laughed, slapping Roxas on the back. Roxas pulled Tidus into a headlock. "Argh!" Tidus groaned. Roxas laughed and let go.

"Roxy, have you met Nami?" Selphie asked, pulling the blond girl closer to the handsome boy. "Roxas, this is Naminé. She's a new student. Naminé, this is Roxas. He's an old student." Selphie began laughing hysterically at her joke.

"Grow up," Tidus rolled his eyes, dragging Selphie away.

"So you're new?" Roxas asked her.

She nodded and looked down at her feet.

"Naminé moved from Twilight Town," Sora interjected, sensing the blond girl's shyness.

"Cool," Roxas said. "Must be hard moving, huh?" he asked, tilting his head to the side.

Naminé nodded again.

_Awkward._

"Let's get our flags," Sora suggested.

Naminé looked up. "Flags?"

"We're not allowed to play tackle football, so we play flag football," Sora informed. "So instead of tackling someone, you rip off their belt to get them out." He explained. When they reached a pile of flags, Sora plucked up two blue ones. "See? You pull one of the flags and the whole belt should unclip. We're the blue team." he said. He showed Naminé how to clip the band around her waist. Dangling from it were three blue flags.

"Hey, guys!" Olette waved and came up to them. The flag-belt was tightened around her hips. "Have you ever played this before, Naminé?" she asked the blond.

"No," Naminé shook her head. "Maybe once, but like I said, I'm no good at sports."

A wolf whistle pierced the air. "Woo! Nice legs, Olette!" Hayner shouted out, laughing as he came up behind them.

Olette turned bright red and socked him in the stomach. "Perv!" she cried, running off.

"Honestly, Hayner," Roxas shook his head, but Naminé could see he was trying hard not to laugh.

"Hey, chickenwuss."

Naminé peeked over her shoulder to see Seifer come sauntering over. Behind him was a scarily buff guy with brown hair and a slender girl with short silver hair. Naminé watched as Roxas froze, then spun around, facing the three.

"What the hell do you want?" he snarled.

"You better not fuck this game up, 'cause I'm not running the mile because of you." Seifer sneered.

Roxas balled up his fists. "Shut the hell up, Seifer."

"Hey, no need to get mad, chickenwuss." Seifer laughed, then turned around and waltzed off, the flags rustling.

"I hate that guy," Roxas spat.

"Roxas, calm down - "

Ignoring Sora, Roxas took off toward the opposite end of the field.

"What was that?" Naminé asked, watching the two boys.

"Those two are always at it," Sora shook his head. "It's always gotten worse time after time. I'm afraid one day Roxas will seriously get hurt. Seifer means business."

"Who's ready for some football?" Kairi asked, coming out of nowhere.

Naminé and Sora jumped. "Kai, you're like a ghost, I swear," Sora chuckled. The laugh sounded forced, and Naminé could sense talking about Roxas and Seifer had worried him.

"_I'm_ the ghost around here," Naminé joked, trying to ease the brunette. "Look at how pale I am!"

The couple burst out laughing.

Soon, the game started. Naminé merely watched with Kairi and Olette, both of which were on her team. She couldn't help but stare as Roxas dove for the ball, then took off down the field. _Sora was right, he really is good._ Her gaze shifted and she watched Sora and Hayner as they covered him. Wakka and Tidus were good as well, both of them sprinting after the ball, managing to avoid getting their flags ripped off.

The game went on for a while. The three girls managed to rip off one person's flag - Pence.

"Hey!" he huffed. "Not fair! The three of you ganged up on me," he whined.

"Aw, don't be such a party pooper, Pence," Kairi giggled. Olette handed him back his flags as Naminé smiled and chuckled quietly.

Muttering to himself, Pence grabbed his flags and marched back to his side.

Olette screamed. "Hayner!"

Hayner had successfully managed to rip off Olette's belt of flags. He held it high and waved it around, laughing.

"You pervert!" Olette cried. "You touched my butt!"

"What?" he asked, smirking. "I was just taking your flags."

"We're on the same team, doofus!" she snatched it back.

"Whoops. My mistake," Hayner ran off, laughing the whole way. Olette took off after him, raising her fist in the air and shouting. It was amazing that Sora had called Olette the mother of the group.

"That's Olette and Hayner for you," Kairi laughed, shaking her head.

"Does Hayner like her?" Naminé wondered out loud.

"He does. He just doesn't want to admit it," Kairi said. "So he just acts like that around her." Kairi's eyes widened as she turned to the field. "Oh my gosh!"

"Watch where you're going!" Seifer shouted, pushing Roxas back.

"You watch it!" Roxas shoved Seifer back.

"Fight! Fight! Fight!" some of the students chanted, forming a circle around the two boys.

"Ishida! Yuhara!" Coach Reyu roared angrily. He stormed over to the group, pushing his way into the circle. "What the hell is wrong with you two?!" He grabbed their arms and pulled them to the side, yelling angrily.

"Not again." Kairi mumbled. "I thought they got over each other." Kairi pursed her lips and watched as the Coach dragged the two blonds to the Gym building, yelling something about detention.

"What do you mean?" Naminé asked.

The red-head crossed her arms. "Last year, they both got suspended three times for fighting each other," Kairi said, tugging a lock of red hair. "That Seifer is always starting something. But Roxas can be so hard-headed, he never backs off in a fight. So the two of them just duke it out."

"Seems like they have a lot of history," Naminé pointed out.

Kairi chuckled dryly. "You could say that."

—

**R&N.**

—

The scent of marker filled the air, making Naminé's nose tingle. The first thing she had noticed about her last class was that their were dozens of markers littered around. It seemed that every marker under the sun had made its way to room 32. The white board was filled with writing, all in various colors. The walls were hidden under a mess of posters, projects, and notices.

It seemed more of an art room then a chemistry lab, despite the fact there was a huge poster that listed all the chemical names.

Naminé decided she liked this room.

"Hello, everyone!" the teacher, Mrs. Kajuto exclaimed. "Welcome to the third day of school." She spotted Naminé by the door and brightened. "Oh! You must be Naminé!" she said happily, taking the yellow slip Naminé handed her. She was wearing a bright purple shirt with very white pants and a yellow beaded necklace. She didn't look like a chem teacher _at all._

"Is there anyone that doesn't have a lab partner?" Mrs. Kajuto asked. "I think it was this class that didn't..." she glanced down at her seating chart. "Ah yes, Roxas!" she exclaimed, pointing to the back of the room.

Life was _so _predictable.

Naminé hesitantly made her way to the back, setting her stuff down quietly.

"So we meet again," Roxas chuckled, his fingers running through his blond spiky hair.

Naminé blushed, then concentrated on the teacher.

"I thought we'd kick off our first chapter with a video," Mrs. Kajuto suggested. The class cheered and she laughed. "All right, settle down. This will help you understand the content we'll be learning," she explained, turning the TV on. "Risa, be a dear and turn off the lights for us."

The lights clicked off.

The TV screen brightened the room and started to show the video.

Within minutes, Naminé was bored. She glanced around to see everyone talking quietly. Feeling left out again, Naminé pulled out her sketchpad and started to draw. The day's feelings were suddenly put into pictures. She drew the school with the ocean in the background, adding details and erasing flaws. For a border, Naminé decided to add little heads of her new friends. Next to Hayner and Selphie's, she drew a little pie to remind her of what had happened at lunch. It had made her laugh and was one of the first memories she had here. Art was her way out.

"That's really good."

Naminé looked up to find Roxas studying her picture. "Oh. T-thanks," Naminé stuttered out. "It's not done, but - "

"But what?" Roxas raised an eyebrow. "This is awesome."

Naminé smiled gently. "Thank you."

"So you like to draw?" Roxas asked, adjusting the black and white checkered wristband on his wrist. Naminé noticed he had one black and one white ring on his left hand's index and middle fingers.

Naminé nodded. "I've been drawing since I was five," she offered shyly.

Roxas smiled, then squinted and leaned in toward the picture. "Is that...pie?" he asked.

Naminé reddened, glad the lights were off to mask her red face. "Yes," she said. "At lunch, Hayner and Selphie were arguing over a piece of pie, and it made me laugh," Naminé explained. Did he think it was stupid? Lame? Funny?

"That's actually a good idea," Roxas smiled. "Did they happen to mention where the pie was from?"

"Hayner said it was from Pie Parlor," Naminé recalled.

"I knew it," Roxas snapped his fingers. "We go there all the time. They have great pies. You should check it out sometime."

"Kairi invited me to go along with them this weekend," Naminé remembered.

"Really? Hm. Maybe I'll tag along," Roxas said, tapping his long fingers against the black table. "Last time we went, Sora ate all my pie, though, so I'll have to steer clear of him."

Naminé's heart throbbed. _"Maybe I'll tag along."_ She hoped he would.

**End Chapter One

* * *

**

_Chapter Two Teaser: Naminé discovers the three worst things about D.I. High: The Three Beauties, Chained, & The Thirteen._

**Author's Note**  
So there you have it! The first chapter is done. Long, huh? I felt I rushed through with the characters, but I spent quite a while trying to decide on this. C: Well, thanks for reading! I'm so inspired by this story, I'm actually about to work on chapter two the minute this gets out. I feel so motivated, plus it's summer so if I can get a little bit ahead by the time school starts, it won't be so bad if I don't update for a while.

**REVIEWS!** They're l_o_ve in internet form.

I'd love to hear what you think C: Please send me one! Press those green words now! ;)

The more reviews, the faster I'll update! C'mon...it's chapter one! Show me some l_o_ve!


	2. Girls, Guys, & Gangs

**Skateboards & Sketchpads**

**Disclaimer:** When I take over Square Enix...I will make Naminé & Roxas an official COUPLE!

**Author's Note  
**Lalala...gues who updated?! I did! :) Thank me later by sending me a review. Because you love me?! Or at least because you love Roxas & Naminé. xD Hm, so this might be a _little_ shorter then chapter one but only because it's meant to be like that. High school fics FTW! I'm so glad I went with this idea...it's easier to toss in surprises here & there.

**THE PEOPLE WHO INSPIRED ME TO UPDATE! **_I loves you guys so much!  
_MsKittyCullen (_first reviewer!_), AonAllstars, Naminee-, HeartlessBuggy, D, Rushia-tan, sapphireangel09, Caitlyn-4479, Midnight Hell, startscribbling12, SaphireWaves, lemoncherrylove, -x-sonicSPEED-x-, Kiome-Yasha, crazyasian45, iPrincess, Handwritten, BlackRoseMuffin, A. "Nony" Mouse, Wint, kingdomheartsproxi, Unfortunate Events, Akane Naomi, & candyland798.

Lame-ish chappie. :)

* * *

...

******» ****August ********«**

...

**Chapter Two:** **Girls, Guys, & Gangs  
**

"Naminé, you better leave for school soon. You don't want to be late again," Mrs. Etsuko called from the kitchen, stealing a glance at the marble clock that hung on the white walls.

"I will," Naminé said, grabbing a muffin and taking a bite. Her mother kissed her on the head as she passed.

"Bye, mom!" Naminé called, opening the door. She grabbed her sketchbook and stuffed it inside her bag, quickly slipping on a pair of black Vans. Her second day outfit had to be just as nice as the first day's: a plaid flannel shirt that she left unbuttoned with a white tank top underneath and light, faded skinny jeans.

"Bye, honey."

Determined not to be late on her second day, Naminé walked briskly to school. She took a deep breath, enjoying the fresh scent of the ocean. She'd never get tired of it. Naminé kicked a stray rock down the street, smiling up at the sky. It was so clear and blue, a nice change from Twilight Town's predictable orange-pale skies.

Naminé neared the tall brick wall she had passed yesterday. She recognized it and remembered that meant she only had a few more blocks until school. But something was different about it today: there was a large XIII spray-painted in blood-red, black, and midnight blue. Naminé stared at it; the handy-work was very creative, but that wasn't what was distracting her. She shook her head and kept going.

The blond artist reached school soon, with a matter of fourteen minutes to spare. She didn't spot any of her new friends and didn't have anyone's number to ask _where r u?_, so she settled under a palm tree near the front gates, partially hidden from view. She reached back into her bag for her sketchpad and carefully turned the wrinkled pages to a clean, blank one.

All of a sudden, everything faded away. It was just her, the pencil, and the sketchpad, drawing beautiful pictures. A little erasing here and there, but for the most part the pencil was non-stop. She stopped and shook out her hand as she studied the drawing in front of her: spiky hair, deep smoky eyes, and a crooked smile...

_Oh my gosh!_ Naminé gasped as the picture grinned back at her. _I-I was drawing him!_ She shook her head and flipped the page, anxious to draw away the millions of thoughts clouding her brain: _Roxas. Roxas. Roxas._

"Hey!"

Naminé jumped, whipping her head around. "Sora!" she cried, pressing a white hand against her beating heart. "You scared me!"

Sora laughed loudly and childlike. "Sorry!" he offered Naminé a hand which she accepted.

"Where are Kairi and the others?" she asked as she stuffed her sketchbook back into her bag. Glancing around, Naminé spotted Roxas with a couple of faces she didn't recognize: one red-head with strange green triangle tattoos underneath his eyes, one blond with a mullet type-thing going on, a boy with floppy dark hair that covered his face, and a blond girl with piercing green eyes.

"Kairi's running a bit late, Wakka and Tidus are on the field playing a small game of soccer with Selphie, Hayner's at the doctor's and won't be here for a while, and Olette's talking to our math teacher about something." He answered with a confident grin.

"How did you know all that?" Naminé gaped.

"The power of text-messaging," Sora grinned, waving his phone around. "You can text, right Naminé?" Naminé nodded. "Cool! What's your number?"

Naminé rattled off her number as Sora quickly punched it into his phone. "I sent your number to the others so you won't have to give it to them," Sora grinned cheekily and snapped his phone shut.

"Thanks," Naminé smiled back. Within a matter of minutes, she already had various texts ranging from _Hey Naminé__! It's Kairi_ to _Hai Nami!!! It's Selphie ^-^_ and _Yo, it's Hayner._ Naminé giggled as she scanned over the texts and entered in her new friend's numbers.

"They texted you already?" Sora raised his eyebrows. "That was quick."

"Yeah," Naminé laughed. Her phone buzzed again. She quickly saved Olette's number and clicked _One New Message_. Her eyes widened as she read the new text: _Hey, it's Roxas. Sora gave me your number, hope it's ok. _"Y-you gave Roxas my number?" Naminé asked Sora, saving Roxas' name in. Her hands were shaking so she entered _Ricas _instead of _Roxas_. She re-entered it, then slid her phone shut.

"Yeah, you guys are friends, right?" Sora asked, rocking back and forth on his heels. Naminé nodded, sneaking a glance to her right. But the blond boy and his friends weren't there, much to Naminé's disappointment.

"Bell's about to ring," Sora said, looking at his phone. "You want to head for English, Naminé?"

"Sure." Naminé fell into step with the spiky-haired brunette.

"How did yesterday go?" Sora asked. "Hope it wasn't bad."

"No," Naminé shook her head and smiled. "Thanks to you guys it was enjoyable."

"I'm glad," Sora rubbed the back of his head. "I know what it's like being alone and not knowing anyone."

"Really?" Naminé raised her eyebrows.

"Yup. When I was little, I was always alone at school. My only friend, Riku, is older then me so he's never in my class." Sora shook his head, the spikes shaking. "It wasn't until Kairi moved here in third grade that I actually had another friend to play with." Sora chuckled dryly. "Then Roxas moved in fourth grade and I had another friend. I met Hayner, Pence, and Olette in fifth through Roxas. Then Kairi met Selphie in sixth grade who introduced us to Wakka and Tidus and, well, here we are."

"Wow," Naminé blinked. "I thought you guys were all friends since, like, first grade," she smiled. "I mean, you guys are so close."

"We're all like family for the most part," Sora grinned. "Consider yourself like the newest member of the D.I. High family."

Naminé grinned as Sora pushed open the door. "Thanks, Sora."

—

**R&N.**

—

"Hey, Naminé!" Pence smiled. "How's your second day going so far?" It was third period and everyone had settled into their seats, waiting for the teacher to arrive. Naminé liked this class because she was near Kairi, Hayner, and Pence. Everyone else seemed oblivious to the fact that Naminé was the new girl now that she had gotten some friends. Once again, Naminé was thankful she had found them.

"Good," Naminé grinned back. "I still can't get over how close the ocean is."

"Weren't there beaches in Twilight Town?" Kairi asked.

"There was one," Naminé tapped her cheek. "But I never went there. Maybe once, when I was little, but my mom never let me go near the water. She was always afraid I'd drown, since I can't swim."

"Aw," Kairi's face drooped. "Well now that you live on the Islands, we'll take you there!"

"Definitely," Pence nodded. "Usually after that we'll go somewhere to grab a bite to eat. It's always fun, so you won't be bored."

"Sounds like a plan," Naminé said excitedly.

"Speaking of plans, you _are_ going with us to Pie Parlor, right?" Hayner wanted to know.

"Oh!" Naminé mentally kicked herself. "I didn't ask my mom, but I'm sure it'll be ok."

"Great!" Hayner punched his fist in the air. "This time I'm going to be the pie-eating champion!"

"The boys always try to see who can eat the most pie before puking," Kairi sighed as she explained to Naminé. "Sora's won twice, although Hayner was close until he tried Boysenberry."

Naminé giggled. "I'd like to see that."

"And you will," Hayner nodded. "Only Sora and Wakka have won before."

"It's a tradition we've kept since...seventh grade?" Kairi looked at Hayner and Pence for clarification. They nodded. "Yup. We just kinda stumbled upon it one day over summer. Since Sora has the biggest stomach in Destiny Islands, he was really hungry so we decided to stop by."

"We go to Pie Parlor as much as we can," Pence piped up. "When we head over there, try the Coconut-cream pie. It's my favorite."

"Stop with the pie-talk," Hayner groaned. "You guys are making me hungry." He buried his face in his hands. Pence chuckled and patted him lightly on the back.

—

**R&N.**

—

"I always hated Mrs. Sheiro," Hayner grumbled. "Ever since day one." The brown-eyed blond was currently mad because 'the bitch' had yelled at him in front of the class. "It's like she's never seen a freakin' airplane, I swear."

"You piss off all your teachers, Hayner," Olette sighed as she took a bite of her sandwich.

"Not true!" The two of them began to argue. Naminé smiled as she watched them, opening her bag of chips. Day two of Destiny Islands High was going good so far. She glanced around the table of her new friends: Selphie was currently chattering away to Wakka and Tidus (both of which looked like they didn't care), Hayner and Olette were arguing, Pence was showing Kairi some photos on his camera he'd taken for Yearbook, and Sora was quietly munching on his lunch.

"Hey, Naminé, look at this one!" Kairi giggled, pressing the arrow sign on Pence's camera and pointing to a certain picture. Naminé laughed: it was a picture of Sora with his mouth full of food.

"What's so funny?" Sora piped up on the other side of Kairi.

"Nothing." Kairi smirked.

"Hey, Kairi?" Naminé asked. "Where are the closest bathrooms?"

"Oh, I'll show you!" Kairi said, getting out of her seat. "I needed to wash my hands, anyway."

"Ok." Naminé followed the red-head out of the cafeteria. As they walked down the hall, some shouting went on outside. "Who's that?" Naminé asked, catching a glance out the window. Kairi walked back and peeked out.

"That's Seifer and his gang," Kairi made a face.

"S-Seifer?" Naminé joined her friend and looked out the window. Sure enough, the blond boy was with the buff boy and slender girl from yesterday. Joining them were a couple of other faces Naminé didn't know. "He has a gang?"

"Yeah," Kairi said. "They call themselves _The Chained._"

"Are they...are they bad?" Naminé asked curiously. "I mean, Seifer was nice to me yesterday."

"You talked with him yesterday?" Kairi's eyes were wide. "Be careful around him, Naminé. He's really deceitful." She shook her head. "Anyway, they're a really big group. Seifer's older brother started the gang but he recently got killed in one of the fights. Ever since then, Seifer's been calling the shots."

"W-wow," Naminé blinked. "Why are they called The Chained?"

"I'm not sure about all the details, but they got the name when Seifer's brother helped some of the current gang-members escape from jail." She tapped her cheek. "Seifer and some of the members go to Destiny Islands High, but most of them go to a special school for juveniles and delinquents down on one of the smaller islands."

Naminé shuddered. "That's really scary. They haven't hurt anyone _here_, have they?"

"Only the members of The Thirteen." Kairi twisted her mouth.

"The thir - "

"We should hurry, I don't want Sora eating my food," Kairi chuckled. Naminé followed Kairi thoughtfully. The Thirteen? Wasn't that what she had seen on the white brick wall on her way to school? Naminé wondered if the Roman numerals had spelled out thirteen. Lunch flew by in a blur and Naminé soon found herself back in the locker room, once again exchanging her clothes for those awful shorts.

"Too bad you guys have to run the mile," Olette chided gently when Kairi remembered their team had won and Selphie's hadn't.

Selphie made a face. "It's only because you guys had Roxas and Seifer!" she pointed out.

"True," Kairi laughed, knotting her shoe laces.

"Well, lookie here. It's a nerd-fest."

Naminé straightened up and peered around her locker to get a view of the person with the cold voice. It was a very pretty girl with perfect short, brown hair. One of her eyes was a deep blue and the other was a lovely green, making her seem mysterious, like she had a secret no one knew. There were two girls behind her: one blond with silky blond hair and spicy green eyes, and one with short silver hair and red eyes.

"What do you want, Yuna?" Kairi asked, her face hardening. Olette put a gentle hand on Kairi's shoulder.

"Easy, Kai," Olette whispered.

The girl in front cocked her head, spotting Naminé. "Hey, aren't you the new girl?"

"Er, yes," Naminé scratched the back of her head uncomfortably. The tension in the air was heavy, like someone had just sprayed a thick scented perfume over their heads.

"Really." the brunette flicked her eyes across Kairi, Olette, and Selphie. "Then why are you hanging out with these dorks?" Naminé, stunned, opened her mouth to answer but was cut off. "I'm Yuna." the girl introduced.

"Rikku!" the blond girl chirped, putting one hand on her hip and the other in the air, fingers pointed down. Naminé realized Rikku had shortened her Gym shirt by tying it in the back so it showed a good two inches of her flat, tan stomach. Naminé felt like a ghost compared to this perfect blond.

"Paine." the last girl stated. Her eyes remained fixed on Naminé, an expression of boredom on her face.

"Um, hello," Naminé stared at the three girls, unsure of what to make of them.

"Catch you around." Yuna said cooly. She turned to go, then paused and looked over her shoulder at Kairi, a smirk on her lips. "By the way, nice push-up bra, Kairi."

Selphie immediately lunged forward. Olette grabbed her arm, whispering fiercely, "Calm down, Selph!"

Naminé turned to Kairi, her face as red as her hair. "K-Kairi, are you ok?"

"Fine." Kairi mumbled. "I hate that girl." She turned away and touched her cheek. "Push up bra my butt," Kairi mumbled. "What the hell is her problem? _She's _the one who..."

"Let's go get a drink," Olette suggested to Kairi after Selphie had calmed down. She patted Kairi on the back and led her to one of the water fountains, talking gently the whole way.

"Who were they?" Naminé whispered to Selphie.

"The three bitches of D.I. High," Selphie explained. "But they refer to themselves as 'The Three Beauties.'" Selphie snorted.

"Why do they hate Kairi so much?" Naminé quizzed, glancing towards the red-head.

"Yuna's the leader of the group. She and Kairi were best friends in fifth grade. But then Yuna got super pretty and snobby over summer." Selphie explained. "Kairi still tried to hang with her, but Yuna started bullying Kairi in sixth grade. Things got so bad that Kairi was crying almost every day, and no one could do anything to cheer her up."

"Oh, wow," Naminé gasped, her blue eyes growing round with fear and pity. "Then what?"

"I beat up Yuna." Selphie grinned.

"No way!" Naminé couldn't help but laugh. They pushed open the locker room doors and stepped into the bright sunshine. Naminé squinted, shading her eyes from the sun.

"Way," Selphie noticed Naminé was impressed and her smile grew wider. "People underestimate me because I'm small, but ever since I was seven my dad's taken me to boxing classes. Anyway, I cleaned Yuna up pretty good. She left Kairi alone for seventh and eight grade, but last year in ninth grade, she recruited Paine and Rikku. Rikku has older brothers that go here, which makes her and her friends protected from the upperclassman. And Paine..." Selphie shuddered. "Paine is a great fighter. Her dad's connected with the mafia."

"Wow." Naminé blinked. "So they're pretty much unstoppable, huh?"

"Yup," Selphie sighed. "Not to mention all the guys at this school are in love with them."

_Yikes,_ Naminé thought as she sat down on her temporary number. _The Chained and The Three Beauties. What else could this school have?_ Remembering what Sora had said about his cousin, Naminé wondered if Roxas was part of The Chained. _Nah. He and Seifer hate each other,_ Naminé reminded herself. _So if he's not part of The Chained...could he be part of - !_

_Tweeet!_ "Hurry up! All of you, on your numbers!" Coach Reyu interrupted her train of thought. When the students were all on their numbers, Naminé recognized Roxas who was sitting in front of Sora. There was the scraped cheek and coverage on his neck, but there was another bandage, just under his right eye. How could he put up with those injuries?

"So how was your first day?"

Naminé tore her eyes away from Roxas and landed them on the blond boy beside her. "It was good," she smiled, a bit nervously. Knowing Seifer was the leader of a powerful gang wasn't putting her at ease.

"That's great," Seifer nodded. "Wouldn't want the new girl to hate it here."

Chuckling, Naminé stared at her kneecaps, thinking. _How can a boy my age be in a gang? I can't even walk alone at night..._She let her hair fall over her shoulder and peeked at Seifer and Roxas through a wall of blond hair.

"Naminé Etsuko?"

"Here," she said, responding to Coach Reyu's roll call.

"Looks like everyone's here. Congrats people, you won the football game which means no mile!" Coach Reyu exclaimed. Someone, Naminé thought it was Sora, started clapping and soon the whole class was applauding and cheering. "So you guys get to pick between basketball and volleyball. Now, shoo!"

The students got up, most of the boys heading for the basketball courts while the majority of girls quickly scampered off for the volleyball nets. Naminé wondered where to go. She noticed Sora heading for the basketball courts and Tidus heading for volleyball. _Let's see, _Naminé thought grimly. _Getting hit by an orange ball or getting hit by a white ball?_

"Naminé! Over here!" Kairi was waving from her spot on the basketball courts. Orange it was. Naminé joined Kairi on the sidelines. She saw Sora warming up with some shots. The ball hit the backboard and bounced off the rim. Grimacing, Sora tried again. This time the ball went it with a nice _swish._

"Where's Olette?" Naminé asked, knowing Selphie, Wakka, and Pence were unhappily running the mile.

"She went to go play volleyball with Hayner," Kairi explained.

"You guys want to play?" Sora asked, dribbling the ball.

"Sure!" Kairi exclaimed. "Come on, Naminé."

"I...I'm not good at basketball, sorry - "

"Ok, we'll play Around The World." Kairi cut Naminé off and dragged her to the side of the court.

"Kairi, I'm honestly not - "

"It's easy, don't worry!" Kairi assured with a wave of her hand. "You see, we all start at the very edge, _here._ Then you shoot, if you make it you move to the next stop. If you miss, you get back in line." Kairi explained.

"Ok, but don't say I didn't warn you," Naminé said, grimacing.

"I'll go first," Sora suggested. He bounced the ball a few times, then shot. Whether it was the sun simply blinding him or just bad luck, Sora completely missed it. "What the! How did I miss?!" Sora asked incredulously.

Kairi laughed. "Your turn, Naminé."

Naminé carefully bounced the ball once, twice. She closed her eyes and threw it blindly. The ball hit the rim...then slowly spun around and sank into the basket. Mouth agape, Naminé stared in shock as Kairi cheered. The ball bounced her way and Naminé caught it.

"Good job! Now you move over here and try to shoot."

Naminé repeated what she had done before. To her disappointment, the ball didn't make it in. She tossed the ball to Kairi who shot it and drove it cleanly into the basket. "Nice," Naminé grinned, slapping hands with her friend. Kairi moved forward and once again made it.

"No fair!" Sora whined, still stuck on stage one. Kairi grinned, sticking out her tongue.

—

**R&N.**

—

It was after school. Kairi had suggested they stop by an ice cream shop on the way home. Naminé had agreed quickly, knowing her mom was still working late at the office. To her disappointment, Roxas hadn't been in Naminé's last period class. She had a feeling he had ditched, since she had seen him at Gym.

"Sora's coming with us," Kairi piped up as she met with Naminé by the school gates.

"Cool," Naminé smiled, adjusting her bag over her shoulder.

"Hey guys," Sora panted as he ran up to them. His backpack was half unzipped and a mountain of books were peeking out. Kairi sighed and mashed the books down as she closed his backpack. Sora shot her a thankful smile as Kairi simply patted his bulging backpack. "My brother took off with some friends so I had to walk alone."

"He went off with The Thirteen?" Kairi asked. "Again?"

"Yeah." Sora's mouth was set in a tight straight line. Kairi gave his hand a squeeze.

"The Thirteen?" Naminé widened her eyes. "Didn't they tag the white brick wall a little ways from here?"

Sora blinked at her, his wide blue eyes growing round. "They did?" He exchanged worried glances with Kairi. "Can you show us, Naminé?" The blond artist nodded and led them down the street. Her eyes scanned the area and landed on the graffiti labeled _XIII._ Sora knelt down and examined it. "This was them."

"Roxas and Axel?" Kairi questioned, worried.

"Yup." Sora's face was red.

"How do you know it was them?" Naminé's voice shook.

Sora grimaced as he pointed to the corner where there were two white numbers acting as a signature: _VIII & XIII._ "Number eight and number thirteen. That's Axel and Roxas."

"Roxas is in The Thirteen?" Naminé gasped, a hand flying to her mouth.

"Sadly." Sora got up. He glanced at the two girls. "Let's get some ice cream, first. Then we'll do some explaining."

—

**R&N.**

—

"So. How long has he been in The Thirteen?" Naminé asked as she spooned around her vanilla ice cream. The rainbow sprinkles provided the only color in the white cup.

"I think since he was eleven," Sora licked the side of his ice cream cone. Kairi wiped off chocolate ice cream from his upper lip. "Axel saw him fight this older guy and recruited him in. Ever since then, Roxas just hasn't been the same."

"What do you mean?" Naminé asked, the spoon halfway to her mouth.

"Well, Roxas' mom died when he was around seven and his dad left him soon after, so Roxas lives with me. He's always out late and when he comes back he has fresh bruises and cuts. Sometimes he stays out for days on end. I have no clue what he does or where he goes. But sometimes it lands him in jail."

"Don't your parents do anything about him?" Naminé had to ask.

"My dad's always away on business and my mom is really caught up in work. But when they do wonder, I always have to cover his dirty butt," Sora gripped his ice cream cone so hard there was a soft _crunch._ Ignoring it, Sora continued, "And whenever the police get involved, The Thirteen cover it and bail him out." Sora's eyes hardened. "It's the least they can do, since he's doing this for them, anyway."

"Wow," Naminé breathed. "So The Thirteen and The Chained are enemies?"

"Like Roxas and Seifer themselves," Sora said dryly. "That's why they're always at each others throats."

"...wow," Naminé repeated as she stared down at her melted ice cream. No one spoke for a while. Her phone began ringing and Naminé quickly answered. "Hello?" She turned to Sora and Kairi and mouthed, _Sorry_, to which they quickly smiled and shook their head, motioning it was ok.

"Naminé?"

"Oh, hey mom," Naminé sat up.

"I'll be home in a while. Where are you?"

"At the ice cream shop with some friends," Naminé answered, wondering if her mom would be mad.

"How great!" Her mom said cheerfully. "It's so nice to know you're out with friends instead of being cooped up at home all day."

"_Mom,_" Naminé groaned.

"Sorry, sorry. Anyway, I just wondered what you wanted for dinner. I don't think I'll have time to cook," Her mother was rustling papers around. "How does take-out sound? There's this cute little Chinese restaurant across from my work."

"Er, sounds great," Naminé crinkled her eyebrows.

"Ok, see you at home, honey. Bye."

"Bye," Naminé said as she hit the red _End Call_ button. She glanced back up at her two friends who were still eating ice cream. "I should get going, guys. My mom's going to be home soon."

"We'll walk with you," Kairi smiled as she finished the last spoon of Berry Berry Strawberry and tossed it into a trashcan.

"Cool," Naminé grinned back. She took one last bite of her ice cream and trashed it. "I live on Starfish street," Naminé said as they walked through the automatic double doors.

"Really?" Sora's eyes danced. "I live on Coral avenue!" he said excitedly. "We're only a street away."

"And I'm only two streets away from you," Kairi snapped her fingers. "I live on the opposite side on Wave boulevard."

"Wow," Naminé breathed. "We're all so close."

"Yeah," Sora laughed. The three of them continued to make small talk as they walked farther down the street.

"This is my house," Naminé said as they reached the edge of Starfish street. It was a cute little two story house with white walls. The roof was a sophisticated coral color as well as the window paneling and balcony. The door was a deep burgundy color with a see through glass window. There were two little flower gardens with bright green grass lining the front of the house.

"Wow!" Kairi gasped. "Your house is so pretty."

"Thanks," Naminé said shyly. "But it's too big for just my mom and me."

"What happened to your dad?" Sora asked.

"..." Naminé stared at the ground.

Kairi shot Sora a glare and put her hand on Naminé's shoulder. "So we're set for Pie Parlor tomorrow?"

"Um, yeah," Naminé said. She still had to ask her mom, but Naminé was confident after talking to her on the phone. She seemed glad that Naminé had been out with friends and the blond artist knew her mother well.

"That's great," Sora said. "Me and Kairi will meet you out here at ten. Sound cool?"

"For sure," Naminé smiled. "See you tomorrow." As she walked to her door, fishing around her bag for her key, her phone vibrated again. Thinking it was her mom, Naminé pulled it out and checked her new text.

**From: Roxas **_at 3:01 p.m.  
_Hey, Naminé.  
Hope to see you tomorrow.

"Oh gosh," Naminé sighed as she leaned against the door. _He's in a gang, Naminé__. Don't start getting all excited 'cause he texted you. Bad boys are the worst. They're absolutely, positively not your type. _Naminé glanced back at the message and, against her will, a small smile crept on her lips.

**End Chapter Two**

**

* * *

**

_Chapter Three Teaser: Naminé__ hopes for a carefree day at Pie Parlor. But what happens when a certain g-a-n-g shows up?_

**Author's Note  
**Thanks for reading, everyone! :) My reviewers deserve a quick update and I tried, I really did! Hopefully you guys liked this chapter even though it seemed a little boring. This was more of a background chapter, sort of explaining what goes on at D.I. High. I promise you it gets more exciting, I swear. :O

**Roxas:** BAD BOYS ARE THE WORST?! I see. Hey, Naminé?

**Naminé****:** Hm? (looks up from sketchbook)

**Roxas:** I've been a naughty boy. You need to punish me. ;)

**Naminé****:** !!! (blushes tomato red and runs away)

**LS:** (sigh) Roxas is so lucky I find him adorable.

**REVIEW,** people! Come on, it's the greatest thing in the world to open up my e-mail & find you took the time to send me one!

_By the way!_ If you're wondering what Naminé's outfits look like, there are links on my page! C:


	3. Slice of Life

**Skateboards & Sketchpads**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Kingdom Hearts...but I own Roxas' soul! (shot)

**Author's Note  
**Finally up. :P Thank goodness! Glad it's posted _but_...not so sure I'm pleased with it. Sigh, I can never put the picture in my head just how I want it. Hopefully you guys like it, because I sure as heck don't. /: OH! Since I've never tasted sea-salt ice cream, my description is really off, haha! Maybe one day I'll be able to taste it xD

**MY Awesome x10000 REVIEWERS! :) **(who love me enough to review!)  
MsKittyCullen (yet again, first! congrats, haha!), startscibbling12, Kiome-Yasha, sapphireangel09, Fanfiction Fanatiction, iPrincess, candyland78, Handwritten, Akane Naomi, AonAllstars, Caitlyn-4479, Amu123, Unfortunate Events, D, crazyasian45, midnight-heart, SaphireWaves, elSarah, lemoncherrylove, BlackRoseMuffin, kingdomheartsproxi, -Gothic-Rainbow-, Wint, & -x-sonicSPEED-x-.

**I'm being honest:** I only appreciate the people listed above. I don't care if you faved it, they _reviewed_ it.

Sigh. Hopefully you aren't disappointed...

* * *

...

******» ****August ********«**

...

**Chapter Three: Slice of Life**

Naminé rolled over in bed, the sun streaking through the white curtains. Clasping her hands over her eyes, she rubbed them groggily. What time was it? Her phone started ringing. _Ugh,_ she thought as her right hand slapped away at the nightstand. Feeling around and knocking something over, Naminé finally managed to grab her phone. She opened it, yawned, and said, "Hello?"

"Naminé?" Kairi's voice sounded entirely too awake. "Are you ready? Me and Sora will be at your house in half an hour."

Naminé sat up, ripping the charger out of the wall. "Oh cra—uh, yeah, yeah! I'm ready."

"Great! See you at ten."

The second the line disconnected, Naminé threw back the covers, flailing awkwardly as she tripped over her phone cord. "Ow," she mumbled as her elbow slammed against the nightstand. Rubbing her new bruise, she stumbled into the bathroom. After a quick shower of hot water and soap, Naminé stepped out of the room wrapped in a towel with still-wet hair. "What to wear," she said, tapping a finger against her cheek. She reached behind the curtain and placed a hand on the window. It was hot.

"Something cute and light…" Naminé decided as she dug through her closet. Finally deciding on a sensible outfit (a light brown tank top with a scoop neck, a short black vest, dark wash Bermuda shorts, and brown and black sandals) she had ten minutes left to eat breakfast before Kairi and Sora came. Quickly filling her canvas bag that had a design of a tiny black mouse, she tossed in her wallet, phone, and a few other necessities.

"Morning mom!" she said when she came downstairs.

Her mother looked up. "Hi, honey. Nice to know you're actually dressing like a girl this year," she remarked with the smallest hint of a smirk.

"_Mom,_" Naminé groaned, reaching for some toast on a plate. As she buttered it, she said, "You don't have to bring up last year. I want to at least fit in here. I don't want to be the weird girl who dresses like a guy anymore." She silently shook out the images playing in her head. "That was all last year. This year, I'm a brand new Naminé."

"Hopefully not completely new," her mother smiled, sipping her coffee.

"Not personality-wise," Naminé agreed, biting into her breakfast. She finished the toast just as the doorbell rang. "That must be Kairi and Sora. Bye mom," she brushed crumbs from her hands and headed out the door.

"Bye, dear. Have fun."

Naminé shyly opened the door, her head poking out first. She was still a little bashful around her new friends, or around new people in general. Kairi and Sora greeted her with a wave and a good morning.

"Ready for Pie Parlor?" Kairi smiled brightly, adjusting her bag.

"Yup," Naminé replied with a grin.

"You brought munny, right?" Sora asked, raising his eyebrows. "It's three munny for a week's access of a tram ride to the smaller island. That's where Pie Parlor's at."

Naminé nodded, thankful she hadn't forgotten her wallet. "Where's Roxas?"

"Roxas?" Sora glanced at her, his childlike eyes round and blue. "He hasn't come home since yesterday." He paused. "Sorry if I sound like a jerk for not being so concerned, but you have to know that I'm so used to him being like this." He looked at the ground, kicking something with the toe of his shoe. "Why?"

"Er, he texted me yesterday saying he'd see me," Naminé scratched the back of her head. "I assumed he was coming with you two."

"That's funny, he didn't say anything," Kairi widened her eyes and looked at Sora who agreed. "Maybe he'll meet us there. He hasn't gone with us to Pie Parlor since last year," she informed, pushing her red hair back over her ear.

"So where exactly is Pie Parlor?" Naminé quizzed.

"It's on one of islands called 'Day'." Sora informed. "It's really cool—it's the third biggest island. There are lots of shops and attractions. It might not be the biggest, but its way more popular then the main island that we live on. This island is just where most of the people live. It has the school and the main stores, but that's about it."

"How many islands are there?" Naminé asked.

"I think about seven or so," Sora shrugged. "Some of them are really small."

It took a good fifteen minutes to reach the tram. The three fifteen-year-olds paid for their tickets and quickly boarded the tram. Naminé pressed herself against the window and her eyes widened as the tram lifted up above the ground and carried them over the water. She backed away and slunk down into one of the seats.

"Great view, huh?" Sora asked, his breath fogging up the window. "I never get tired of this. Come see, Naminé!"

"Er, no thanks." Naminé breathed.

Kairi caught sight of the blond girl folded in her seat. "Ooh. Are you scared of heights?"

"Just a bit," Naminé chuckled wearily.

"I was too," Kairi patted Naminé's leg as she took the open seat next to her. "But when you need to get from island to island, the tram's the only way, unless you take a boat. Don't sweat it—you get used to it." Naminé smiled weakly at her new friend as the tram continued to move along.

After a horrific ten minutes, Naminé got off the tram first. "Whew," she shook her head. "This is the reason why I'll never go on roller coasters."

Kairi giggled, playfully bumping her shoulder with Naminé's. "That would be a funny sight."

"This way!" Sora called as he waved his hand energetically, motioning to head west. "The rest of them are in front of the fountain." The perky brunette hurried off.

"Coming," Kairi rolled her eyes as she and Naminé followed the brunette. "I knew I shouldn't have let Sora eat those Sugar Flakes for breakfast."

Naminé giggled quietly as she fell into step with Kairi. She spotted the rest of the group perched in front of a large, beautiful fountain. Olette was the first to see them. She waved and patted the seat next to her. Naminé gratefully sat down. After saying hello and good morning to everyone, the blond realized Roxas wasn't there. She shrugged. _Oh well. No reason for that to bring down my day._

"So do you guys want to go to Pie Parlor now or just hang out and walk around for a bit?" Hayner asked, wiping his hands on his camo shorts. He had been eating a bagel and there were crumbs everywhere on the front of his shirt. Olette rolled her eyes and brushed them away.

"How about we walk around? We can go there for lunch. It's still early," Olette—the reasonable one in the group—said as she stood up. The group agreed and trudged down the quaint, crowded streets. Naminé spotted so many stores and restaurants crammed together like it was an outdoor mall. She marveled at one particular store: _The Golden Pallet._

"Can we go inside GameStop?" Sora pleaded, eyeing the store longingly. "Come on guys, it'll be fun!" He grinned brightly at the others.

"I wanted to check out that shoe shop," Selphie interjected, pointing to a classy little store tucked into a street corner. It was labeled _Belle Chaussure_. "The store name is French for 'Beautiful Shoe.' I've been meaning to get a few more pairs."

"What if we go inside Blitzball Center?" Wakka suggested. "'Ey, Tidus! You an' me, mon. Let's go check it out."

"Let's split up," Olette suggested. "We can meet back here in about thirty minutes."

"Cool," Kairi nodded her head. "Is that ok with everyone?" The group willingly agreed. Sora immediately took off for GameStop with Hayner close behind. As he said he would, Wakka disappeared into Blitzball Center with Tidus, examining the new merchandise.

"I'll be in _Flash!_ if anyone needs me," Pence called before walking towards the photography store. Selphie went with him since _Belle Chaussure_ was next door.

"Where do you guys want to go?" Kairi turned to Olette and Naminé.

"I think we should let Naminé pick," Olette smiled. "How about it, Naminé? Are there any stores you want to check out?"

Naminé glanced back at The Golden Pallet. "Well, I'd like to check out that art store. I've wanted to get another sketchpad since mine is running out of paper."

"Let's go then," Kairi grinned, hooking her arm into Naminé's. Olette took the other arm and the three girls laughed and marched into The Golden Pallet.

—

**R&N.**

—

"I'll be over here," Kairi said as she headed for the back of the store. "They usually have some really cool art books."

"I'll be at the colored pencils," Olette pointed to a section of art supplies. "I need some for my science project."

Naminé was left alone. She glanced around, wondering where the sketchpads were. She browsed through a few notebooks, sliding her finger across the spines. "Let's see…that one's lined, this one's not the right paper…" she mumbled as she examined a few books. Lost in concentration, she bumped into someone. "Oh!" she cried, her eyes flying up. "I'm so sorry!"

"It's all right," the speaker laughed quietly. It was a very pretty girl with round blue eyes and jet-black pixie-like hair. "I'm Xion."

"Naminé," the blond smiled back shyly.

"What were you looking for?" Xion asked, tilting her head to the side.

"Just a new sketchpad," Naminé replied. "My old one is filling up pretty fast."

"Sketchpads, huh?" Xion thought for a moment. "Follow me." She led Naminé to the far end of the store where there were about twelve different kinds of sketchbooks: hardcover, flip-fold, spiral. It was like a mall for art supplies. Naminé smiled at the thought.

"Get this one," Xion suggested, handing Naminé a medium sized book. It had a spiral edge and a cream cover. The pages were white, blank, and had a good firm stance to it. Naminé checked the price: 9 munny.

"Seems like a steal," Naminé smiled gently. "This is great. Where do I pay?"

"Up front," Xion nodded. "Come with me." At the cash register, Xion scanned it, and then put it in the bag. Naminé reached for her wallet but Xion put her hand up, shaking her head. "It's on me."

Naminé's eyes widened. "Oh, Xion, I honestly couldn't—"

"Sure you can," Xion laughed. "Consider it a welcome gift. I haven't seen you on the islands before, so you have to be new."

"I am," Naminé said slowly. "But wouldn't you get in trouble for this?"

"Nah," Xion laughed, waving her hand in the air. "It's my dad's store."

"Oh!" Naminé's eyebrows flew up. "Well, thanks! It's really nice of you to just give me this."

"Xion? Is your shift done yet?" A surprising Roxas poked his head out from behind the door labeled Employees Only. His gaze moved away from Xion and landed on Naminé. "Oh, hey there Naminé," Roxas nodded.

"You know each other?" Xion asked curiously.

"Er, yes," Naminé said, glancing quickly at Roxas.

"Come on, Xi." Roxas motioned to the clock. "You've been here since eight."

"And I plan on staying here until closing," Xion snapped. "You know my dad left me here in charge of the shop. I can't go playing around with you and the others when my dad's trying to make me a responsible kid. I already talked to Xigbar about this, so shove off."

"Watch your attitude," Roxas yawned, leaning against the door.

Naminé blinked. "Um, I should get going, Kairi and the others are waiting for me…"

Xion clapped her hands. "Excellent! Roxas, why don't you go with Naminé?"

"Eh?"

Both blonds looked at each other. Naminé blushed and dropped her gaze, her hand tightening around the plastic bag that held her new sketchbook. About three things were going through her mind: _Roxas? Roxas? Roxas?_

And that was pretty much it.

"I was going to catch up with them later," Roxas scratched his head. "I wanted to hang out with you, Xi."

Naminé's heart thumped. Were they in _like_ with each other? The bigger question: was _Roxas_ in like with Xion? She didn't know. The answer seemed to be obvious: _YES!_

"Oh come on, Roxas," Xion sighed, shaking her head. "You know I have things to do."

"Naminé!" Kairi and Olette approached them.

"Are you ready? Sora just texted me that everyone's outside," Kairi explained, tapping her phone. She spotted Xion and Roxas and waved. "Hey. Didn't know you two were here," she smiled uncomfortably.

"Do you guys want to come with us?" Olette asked politely. "We're planning on visiting Pie Parlor."

"No. I have to work." Xion's face was completely expressionless.

"I'll meet up with you guys later," Roxas said. "What time? Twelve-ish?"

"Yup," Olette nodded. "Bye."

"Bye Xion," Naminé smiled shyly. "Thanks again for the sketchpad."

Xion brightened. "No problem. Bye, Naminé."

"See you later, Roxas," Naminé waved quickly and followed Kairi and Olette out.

"Bye Naminé," Roxas said, leaning against the counter.

"She seems nice," Xion said as she watched Naminé leave the store. "And she's pretty. Maybe you should go ask her out."

Roxas chuckled. "Yeah, right."

—

**R&N.**

—

"The usual, kids?" The waitress asked, her nametag reading _Aqua_. The group was crowded around a circular table.

"Plus one of your special pies for Naminé," piped up Kairi. "She's new to the islands."

"I was wondering why I didn't recognize you," she smiled, one hand on her hip. "I'm Aqua."

"She came from Twilight Town like you," said Sora, leaning back in his chair. He was anxious to get his pie and hadn't stopped fidgeting for the five minutes they'd been inside. Kairi patted his leg. Sora put the chair back on all fours and put his chin on the table.

"Really." Aqua raised her eyebrows. "Nice." She glanced down at her notepad, quickly jotting a few words down. "So, we have two apple pies, three coconut creams, one cherry special, and absolutely no boysenberry?"

"Right!" Selphie said.

"Ok, be right back." Aqua left for the kitchen.

"When is Roxy going to join us?" Selphie asked Kairi, her eyes wide.

"I don't know," Kairi said. "He said he'd be here around twelve or so." She glanced at her phone. "Maybe you should try texting him, Naminé."

"What! Me? Why?" Naminé asked.

"Well, he's only coming because of you," Kairi pointed out, a small smirk on her lips. She took a sip of her milkshake, the cold taste of vanilla oozing down her throat.

"He is not," Naminé muttered, turning a nice shade of cherry red.

"Maybe he likes you!" Selphie gasped, clapping her hands to her mouth. "That would be soooo cute!"

"Selphie!" Naminé cried. "We haven't even known each other for a week. How do you expect him to suddenly like me?"

"Who likes Naminé?" Sora asked, leaning towards them.

"No one, dear," Kairi sighed.

"Tell me," Sora insisted. "Come on! I'm one of the girls," he said, batting his eyelashes. Naminé couldn't help but laugh at him.

"Sora's a girl?" Hayner asked, turning their way.

"No!" Sora turned red. "I just want to find out who likes Naminé."

"Who likes Naminé?" Tidus asked. Soon everyone who wasn't concerned before was asking that question. Naminé sighed and slammed her head against the table. Kairi chuckled and patted her consolingly. Selphie tried to tell everyone to "shut up—it's none of _your_ business!" which didn't do much. Aqua showed up with a trayful of pies which shut everyone up…for now, anyway.

They were all pre-sliced to Naminé's amusement and the group quickly took a slice. Naminé hesitated, wondering which one to take. Kairi noticed and whispered, "Try the cherry." She motioned to the pie in the middle.

"Ok," Naminé said, managing to get a wedge. She lifted her fork and was about to try her first bite.

"Wait!" Sora said. He dropped his fork and fished out his cell phone. "I want to take a picture of your face when you try some pie for the first time."

"W-wha—"

The group brought out various cell phones and cameras, lifting them up and aimed them at Naminé's face. Even Aqua paused to watch, the smallest hint of a smile on her face. Suddenly camera shy, Naminé ducked her head in embarrassment.

"Did I miss anything important?"

Looking up, Naminé caught sight of _him._

"Not much," Sora grinned at his cousin. "Naminé's just about to take her first bite."

"I have to see this," Roxas laughed. Sora scooted over, allowing Roxas to sit directly in front of Naminé. _Oh crud,_ Naminé quietly sighed.

"Ok…go," Roxas said as he aimed his phone at her.

Hesitantly, Naminé looked around the table. They all began to chant, "Na-mi-né. Na-mi-né." Amused, Naminé slowly brought the fork up to her lips and her taste buds met with the sweet flavor. It was almost startling how delicious it was—she nearly dropped her fork in surprise. About seven different clicking noises went off. The group cheered.

"How was it?" Selphie asked eagerly.

"It was—wow, that was great!" she said, digging her fork into the pie crust.

"I told you!" Selphie giggled before Tidus shut her mouth by shoving some pie in it. "Mmm," Selphie said. Tidus merely rolled his eyes, digging into his own portion.

Naminé was enjoying her second bite when her phone rang.

**From: Roxas** _at 11:29 a.m.  
_Heh.

Attached to it was a picture: Naminé's picture. She stared at her face—it was slightly amusing with her eyes so round and her mouth slightly agape. She looked up to see Roxas smirking into his pie. "This just brightened up my day," she muttered sarcastically.

Roxas bit his the inside of his cheek to hold back a laugh. "I would think so."

"I'll beat you today, Sora!" Hayner cried, stuffing his face.

"You never will!" Sora shouted back, filling his plate with more pie.

Roxas turned to Naminé, an amused smile on his face. "They're going to blow soon. They always do."

"A-are you serious?" Naminé said, eyes wide. "I kind of have a weak stomach and…"

Roxas laughed. "Come with me. We can go outside until they come to their senses."

Naminé thought for a minute. On one hand, she was wary about going somewhere with a gang member. On the other, if she stayed here chances were she'd puke the moment Hayner or Sora did. Either one didn't seem very pleasing. "Ok." She finally said, finishing the last of her pie. She turned to Kairi. "Uh, Kai?" she asked, shyly.

Kairi turned away from scolding Sora and said, "Yeah?"

"I'm going outside with Roxas for a while, ok?"

Kairi's grin suddenly grew impossibly wide. "Ok. Don't hurry back—take all the time you want!"

"Kairi," Naminé groaned. Kairi just smiled coyly and gave Naminé a little push. Roxas was waiting patiently in his chair and got up when Naminé did. The two blonds walked outside, the warm post-summer sun still shining brightly.

"So…where are we going?" Naminé asked.

Roxas smiled. "Ever tried sea-salt ice cream?"

—

**R&N.**

—

"This is great!" Naminé gasped, catching the melting side. She had her doubts when Roxas first handed her the sea-salt bar (even the _name_ sounded awful), but she had cautiously taken a lick. It was, not surprisingly, salty, but quickly after a sweet, almost heaven-like taste filled her mouth. "But sea salt ice cream is such a bad name. No wonder people don't buy much of it." She gazed at the lonely vendor.

"Yeah," Roxas said, taking a lick. "I found out about them when I joined The Thirteen."

Naminé's heart stopped. Casually, Naminé asked, "The Thirteen?" like she didn't have a clue about them. It was basically a suave way of lying, and Naminé felt slightly guilty. Her mother had taught her lying was the worst—"Some people just can't be trusted," her mother had murmured, staring out the window.

Roxas nodded. "It's a group," he shrugged and then chuckled dryly. "I guess you could call us a gang."

"A gang—"

"We don't like to refer ourselves as 'gang'," Roxas said. "We're more like a family." He stared down at his ice cream. It was beginning to drip and he held it out of reach.

"Let me guess," Naminé said, trying to lighten the mood. "There are thirteen members."

Roxas smiled. "Smart girl," he chuckled. "One of the leaders actually quit a few years back when I joined. I don't know his name, but they dubbed him 'The Superior.'" Roxas rubbed the back of his neck. "So we had twelve for a while, until Xion came along."

"The same Xion in the art store?" Naminé asked.

"Yeah. Cute, isn't she?" Roxas asked with a light laugh.

Something panged in Naminé's heart. She was all too aware that Roxas had called Xion _cute._ Naminé was startled into silence. The pang grew more persistent as Roxas continued talking like he didn't notice.

"She joined and, well, we kept the name," Roxas was saying.

"What do you guys do?" Naminé asked, after a moment of silence.

Roxas stared hard at the ground.

Before he could reply, some faces Naminé slightly recognized came into view. It was Roxas' friends from school: the red-head, the two blonds, and the boy with the dark shaggy hair.

"Roxas!" the red-head walked up. Naminé saw he was wearing a black shirt that had _VIII_ in red numbers. Her heart jumped. Number eight? This had to be the Axel Sora was talking about yesterday. "Who's your friend?"

"This is Naminé," Roxas introduced. He had a wary expression on his face.

"Nice to meet you," Axel bent down to her height and smiled cunningly. "I'm Axel. I don't like last names or sir, so if you got to talk to me you call me Axel and only Axel. Got it memorized?"

"Er, I think so. Yes." Naminé looked up at him, cocking her head with a slightly confused expression on her face.

Axel threw his head back and laughed. "I like this one, Rox." He patted Naminé on the head.

"What are you guys doing here?" Roxas asked, almost nervously.

"Nothing. Just thought we'd stop by," the blond girl said. She turned to Naminé with a wicked expression. "So, Naminé is it?" She grabbed Naminé's chin and turned her face fiercely as Naminé dropped her ice cream in surprise. "Why are you with Roxas?" she questioned.

The girl was holding her face roughly. Naminé struggled to answer.

"Nothing, Larxene," Roxas snapped. "We were just hanging out."

"She could be a member of Seifer's gang," Larxene hissed. She tightened her grip on Naminé.

_This girl is crazy_, Naminé thought weakly. She struggled against Larxene's tight grip.

"Stop struggling," Larxene commanded. Naminé was afraid of two things—one: what would happen if she didn't listen to Larxene and two: what would happen to her jaw if Larxene didn't let go. Either she could stop or she could try talking her way out of this. Naminé decided on the latter.

"Can you please let go?" Naminé whisper-pleaded. Larxene glowered at her.

"Let her go," Roxas said, this time the nervousness in his voice loud and clear.

"Or what?" Larxene laughed.

"Just release her," Axel said gently, nudging Larxene ever-so-slightly. The girl scowled, finally letting go and pushing Naminé back. The artist rubbed her chin, touching a sensitive spot where Larxene had grabbed her. It tingled, sending slight signals of pain throughout her body.

"Can we go now? You said I could go to the Music shop," the other blond boy whined (there were a lot of blonds, Naminé mused) as he shook his guitar. "I needed some new strings, remember?"

"Shut up, Demyx," Larxene snapped. She glared down at Naminé. "I don't like you. You better not be on our bad side." Naminé didn't know what to say, simply staring down at her shoes. She was shaking, gripping the bench she sat on.

"Come on," Axel said gently, leading Larxene away. "Nice meeting you, Naminé." Demyx followed suit.

Only the dark-haired boy and Roxas were left. The boy lazily pushed his hair out of the way, only succeeding in having it fall back in place. "Roxas, Xigbar won't be happy when Larxene tells him about…" his low voice trailed off. He shook his head and left.

"Thanks, Zexion," Roxas muttered. He turned to Naminé. "Are you ok? I'm really sorry about Larxene. She's just a bit…overprotective."

"I'm fine," Naminé mumbled, turning away.

"Wait," Roxas said. "Look at me." Naminé hesitated, then slowly turned toward him, the left side of her face slightly away. Roxas gently turned her head, his grip so much gentler then Larxene's. "You have a bruise," he said. Roxas brushed his thumb against it, causing Naminé to wince.

"I'm fine," Naminé said, forcing her voice to sound cheery. "I'm used to bruises. I fall a lot," she chuckled nervously.

Roxas looked at her doubtfully. "I still feel bad…"

"Don't," Naminé shook her head. "It wasn't your fault."

Roxas studied her bruise. "How about I make it up to you?"

Naminé glanced at him warily. "How?"

"Well," Roxas grinned slyly. "I can always kiss it."

Naminé's innocent blue eyes widened. "P-perv!" she cried, pushing him away. _The nerve of him! Thinking he's some kind of bad-ass stud! _If there were one thing Naminé loathed, it was a guy like _him. Congratulations,_ Naminé thought bitterly. _You just made my keep-away-from list._

Roxas laughed and patted her head. "I'm kidding. Relax." Then his grin grew cocky. "But if you want to take me up on that offer…"

_Slap!_

"I was joking!" Roxas cried, rubbing his scarlet cheek. "Ok, seriously, how about I buy you another sea-salt ice cream?" He suggested. "I don't think you want to eat that one." He nodded toward the one she had dropped.

She thought for a moment. "Fine."

—

**R&N.**

—

"So how was your _date_ with Roxas?" Kairi asked, giggling.

Naminé blushed. "It wasn't a _date!_" she cried, burying her face in her hands. They were back on the tram, this time joined by the rest of the group except Roxas. After he had gotten her sea-salt ice cream, someone called him on his phone.

"_Hello?" he had answered. His eyes grew wide and then turned into slits as he sighed, annoyed. "Larxene's overreacting, it's not…" He quickly glanced at Naminé and lowered his voice. "She's not part of any gang, she's just…Yes sir," he suddenly said. "I understand. Yes." A pause. "Yes sir." He hung up. "Naminé, I need to go."_

"_Is this—" He swiftly cut her off._

"_Can you find your way back?"_

"_Er, y-yes," Naminé said as she bit her lip. She had a strange feeling this was because of her. A horrible feeling went through her: it felt like fear and guilt and it radiated in her chest. "Roxas, is this because of—"_

"_All right then." He smiled softly. "I'll see you on Monday."_

"Let's see," Selphie smiled. "You and Roxas. Alone. Together." She raised her eyebrows. "Seems like a date to me," she said smoothly.

Naminé blushed, causing the other girls to playfully tease her the rest of the way home. At least it distracted her from the tram's ghastly ride. But it didn't sidetrack her from that look on Roxas' face. She wondered what she'd gotten him into. His smirk from earlier…she shuddered. _Oh who cares? He's so not my type._ She shook her head. Boys like him—smooth-talking, good-looking, snobs—she didn't like them.

—

**R&N.**

—

Everything was swirling.

He bit back a cry as he received another punch in the stomach. Rough hands collided with his jaw. This was no punishment compared to more serious ones he'd witnessed on the other Thirteen members. But it still hurt him—hurt him a lot. He figured this was another sign he should toughen up. The Thirteen couldn't always win, he knew. But they still tried.

He fought back blindly. Five against one? It wasn't fair. But he was number thirteen. He could do it. His fist connected with something—hard.

_Crack!_

"AHH!" the person he had hit stumbled back, falling to his knees.

His head was throbbing. He looked down at the fallen boy. "Get out of here," he spat out. He managed to clench his fists to show he meant business.

The leader stepped into the circle. "Let's go, guys."

Roxas stood, watching as Seifer left, his gang following after him. Seifer turned to him. "You're lucky we spared you, chickenwuss," he growled over his shoulder. Number thirteen watched them silently: his mouth hurt too much to say something. Slowly he turned around and limped back to headquarters.

—

**R&N.**

—

"How was your day, sweetie?" Mrs. Etsuko asked. Naminé hung her bag in the hall closet. "Fun?"

"Yeah, the pie was really good," she said, not bothering to mention the part about Roxas and his friends. Larxene's hateful eyes appeared in her mind and she shivered. How could he even manage to call _her_ a friend? "How was your day?" Naminé asked, sitting down at the table and grabbing a handful of M&M's in a bowl.

Her mother smiled. "It was great! I made a new friend. She lives a street away from us, actually. Her name's Rina Ishida," her mother said. "She lives with her son and nephew. They're in your grade, maybe you know them."

Naminé held back a gasp and tried to act casual. "Really? Who?"

"I think their names were Sora and Roxas."

"Y-yeah," Naminé stuttered. "I was with them earlier—"

"Oh!" Mrs. Etsuko's eyes lit up. "So that Sora boy that was here with your other friend must be the same one she mentioned." She shrugged. "Well, no matter. You'll get to meet her later."

"Huh?" Naminé looked up from her M&M's.

"I invited all of them for dinner next week."

Oh. _Crap._

**End Chapter Three**

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_Chapter Four Teaser: Her decisions decide her path at D.I. high. Will Naminé__ make the right one?_

**Author's Note  
**And that's it for chapter three. Hopefully you weren't disappointed, but now you can ensure that drama will occur! :O The chapter didn't come out like I wanted, though. -.- I'm bad at trying to put the movie in my head in words...but hopefully this wasn't disappointing (sigh)

**Riku:** ...when am I going to come into this story?

**LS:** Oh sh- uh, soon! Either the fourth or fifth chapter, for sure! :)

**Sora:** Pfft...who needs Riku when you have me?

**KH Crew:** "..." (starts laughing uncontrollably)

**Sora:** HEY! I'M SEXY ENOUGH!

**Roxas:** Actually, I think the reviewers like me over you. You know how many of them wanted me? Thanks guys!

**Sora:** !!! (turns to reviewers) Y-you can have my body too!

Er, anyways, chapter five shouldn't come for a while. I really need to update YATMIM, which like I said is my first priority. I _only_ updated this first because I was so excited to try and write it, but I FAILED YET AGAIN orz Who knew I could make three crappy chapters in a row? I should have known.

CHAPTER HINT! _Haven't given one of these, yet, haha._  
There were only three in here! The first one: One of The Thirteen members quit! Take note, that is going be a big part in the story, but not until much later on. Second: The phone call Roxas got & three: the part about Roxas taking a beating. What do all of these mean?! You will soon find out...mwahaha.

**REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW.** WHY DON'T YOU SEND ME ONE?! Faves/story alerts are not appreciated, _reviews_ are! This is only chapter three, be a dear and just send me one why don't you!


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